1. Field of the Invention
The instant invention relates to apparatus for slaughtering livestock, and more particularly, the instant invention relates to apparatus for slaughtering livestock in accordance with hallal and kosher restrictions.
2. General Considerations & Prior Art
Approximately one-sixth of the world's population is Muslim. In accordance with Muslim religious provisions, animals must be slaughtered in a certain way so as to make sure that the meat is clean and that the surroundings are kept clean and not contaminated with blood. Moreover, it is prescribed that the animal's head face Mecca, that the animal's feet be secured and that the animal does not suffer unduly and is treated with respect.
These provisions can be difficult to follow. When the animal is slaughtered in a Muslim's home which is a prevalent practice during holy days and other religious occasions, sanitary problems arise because people do not generally have adequate facilities for slaughtering animals. Accordingly, it is difficult to prevent blood from spilling on the ground or the floor adjacent the slaughter area. Another difficulty arises in commercial processing of meat both in Muslim communities and in countries such as the United States and Australia which provide meat for export to Muslim countries. Consequently, meat which is processed in accordance with hallal provisions is more expensive than it need be because the slaughtering process is slow and antiquated.
The prior art recognizes these problems and the following patents are illustrative of attempted solutions to these problems: British Pat. 328,116--April 1930; British Pat. No. 784,278--October 1957; U.S. Pat. No. 2,967,510--January 1961; U.S. Pat. No. 3,457,585--July 1969. In accordance with the inventions disclosed in these patents, the animal is tied to the table manually while standing. The table is then tilted to a horizontal position for slaughter. However, these tables are operated manually which can require an enormous great effort since animals such as sheep and cows can be extremely heavy. Moreover, no drain is provided for collecting the blood, and accordingly, blood runs all over the table and is usually caught in a container and carried away by hand. In addition, the tables are generally too low for the person doing the slaughtering to stand comfortably so that the animal's jugular vein can be cut cleanly and rapidly, insuring that the animal dies quickly and relatively painlessly. Furthermore, it is readily apparent that the devices taught by these prior art patents are not conducive to mass production procedures.